One Year Bible Devotion

December 26, 2023

by Michael McDermott

THE LORD IS GOOD

Psalm 145:1 - “I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.”

Today’s reading in the Psalms begins with David exalting and blessing the name of the Lord. What follows is a laundry list of the reasons why. If you didn’t get what you wanted yesterday for Christmas, I guarantee you there is something for you in the reading today. Enjoy! (NLT)

The Lord always keeps His promises; He is gracious in all he does (v.13). The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads (v.14).
You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing (v.16).
The Lord is righteous in everything he does (v.17).
He is filled with kindness (v.17).
The Lord is close to all who call on him (v.18).
He grants the desires of those who fear him (v.19).
He hears their cries for help and rescues them (v.19).
The Lord protects all those who love him (v.20).

December 24, 2023

by Michael McDermott

CAREFUL OBEDIENCE

Zechariah 6:15 – “Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

God had given the people a promise concerning the building of the temple. The last sentence of this verse needs to be carefully noted. What God had promised would not come to pass if the people did not hold up their end of the bargain. The promise was contingent upon careful obedience: “And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.” No obedience, no fulfilled promise.

I begin to ask myself the question, “How many promises of God have I missed because I didn’t do what I was supposed to? How many times have I blamed God for something that was really my fault?”

What is God saying that the people need to pay close attention to? I believe we can find the answer in today’s reading in Zechariah 7:8-10 “Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’’” The bottom line of these verses is God wants us to treat other people the right way, especially those who might be easily vulnerable in our society. Take up for those who don’t have a voice and who are taken advantage of.

This is a great passage of scripture this time of year and it embodies the spirit of Christmas. May you and yours be blessed this season and may that blessing be extended from you to others who need the Savior.

December 21, 2023

by Michael McDermott

OVERCOMERS

Revelation 12:9-11 “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Part of God’s plan in the future is not only the redemption of the heavens and the earth and the installment of Christ’s kingdom on earth, it also includes the judgment of Satan and the vengeance of God’s people upon him for their martyrdom. In this passage, which is a partial judgment against our enemy, the devil is cast out of heaven along with the rebellious angels. He is called many things in today’s reading: dragon, serpent of old, Devil, and Satan. The title that describes him in a different but most fitting way is “accuser of our brethren.” We are told that he accuses God’s people day and night. We are also told how we can overcome him. There are three keys to that victory:
1. The Blood of The Lamb. There is nothing for us to do here. This is a divine work by the Son of God. The blood of Jesus secures access for us into the presence of God. The blood of Jesus washes away our accusations and our sins. We are forgiven and recipients of eternal life. The devil cannot do anything about that either. It is a work forever settled in heaven.
2. The Word of Our Testimony. What say ye? Our testimony plays a critical role in our victory. We must speak the word of the Lord out of our mouths and tell of the great things God has done.
3. They Did Not Love Their Lives To The Death. This part of the verse is literal in the book of Revelation. People gave their lives for the cause of the kingdom. However, Jesus told us in the gospels that if we wanted to save our lives we needed to lose them. Kingdom living is selfless living. It is putting first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It’s dying out to our own desires and fulfilling the will of God in our lives.

We are called to live victoriously. You have “overcomer” written all over you and your future. Live like one, talk like one, and experience the power of God that can help you conquer the enemy.